KUALA LUMPUR: Caretaker coach Pau Marti Vicente apologised after Harimau Malaya suffered a 4-0 defeat to world No. 95 New Zealand in a friendly at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland today.
Malaysia held the All Whites scoreless in the first half, but the floodgates opened after the break, with New Zealand netting through Elijah Just (53rd minute), Matthew Garbett (61st), Chris Wood (72nd) and Logan Rogerson (90th).
Despite the heavy loss, the Spaniard believes the match has provided valuable lessons.
"I want to apologise to the fans who came out to support us. We couldn't deliver a better result," said Vicente after the match.
"We took on a strong opponent, but this experience will be crucial for our development."
Vicente acknowledged his team's difficulty in maintaining momentum after conceding the first goal.
"We stayed positive and believed that our transitions could create opportunities. It was tough, but going into half-time without conceding was a positive sign.
"We can't complain. Everything was constructive, and the players gained valuable playing time. We will learn from this," he added.
Romel Morales came closest to scoring for world No. 132 Malaysia in the 51st minute, but his effort was denied by New Zealand goalkeeper Alex Paulsen.
Harimau Malaya had hoped to upset New Zealand and improve their world ranking, but they will now regroup ahead of their next friendly against world No. 126 India on Nov 19.